Michigan

Winds, cold did a number on tree blossoms

John Hogan | mlive.comCut storm-damaged branches to the point of attachment just outside the branch collar â the raised area that surrounds the branch where it joins the trunk. Here, tissue envelops a pruning wound on this elm tree damaged by wind in 2009.

TIPS

• Oak trees should not be pruned in April, May or June, unless it is to repair storm damage.
• Doing so makes the tree more vulnerable to oak wilt disease, a fungal infection introduced through fresh wounds, such as pruning cuts.
• The pathogen is carried by insects and causes rapid death of large oak trees in landscapes and woodlands.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Mother Nature once again has turned the tables on us.

Tables, lawn furniture, birdhouses — just about anything that wasn’t nailed down succumbed to ferocious winds normally associated with March weather.

The sub-freezing temperatures aren’t uncommon, but had a devastating impact on emerging buds forced out of dormancy by March warmth.

Fruit trees were hit hard. But so were the brilliant red, white and magenta flowers of countless ornamental trees.

If the cold didn’t zap them, sustained winds in excess of 20 mph whisked away blossoms that normally hold forth for several weeks.

Healthy trees will recover, but trees already under stress from age, wounds and insects could be in grave condition.

Planting a new generation of disease-resistant, tough-as-nails trees in the home landscape provides a long-term anecdote to the cruel whims of Mother Nature.

Rooted in tradition

April is an ideal time to plant trees — this week in particular. The last Friday in April — this year it’s April 27, is celebrated coast-to-coast as National Arbor Day. People in Nebraska — home of the National Arbor Day Foundation — get the day off and plant trees.

Whether in Nebraska or Michigan, a lot of us are spending weekends tending to trees damaged by storms.

Large limbs broken and hanging should be removed by a professional arborist — especially if overhead chainsaw work is required or the branch is dangling above power lines. You can find them in the Yellow Pages under Tree Service.

Smaller jobs that don’t involve overhead chainsaw work and utility lines oftentimes are handled by the homeowner.

The first order of business is removing jagged remains of smaller-sized broken limbs to reduce the risk of decay agents entering the wound.

Smaller branches should be cut back to the trunk or a main limb. Use a sharp saw that has been cleaned with a water/bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) to reduce the risk of spreading disease tree to tree.

The right cut

Many trees, especially maples, look lopsided when a good-sized branch succumbs to wind.

Once the damaged limb is removed, don’t go overboard with the pruning saw trying to regain an aesthetically pleasing shape.

“You’ll be surprised at how fast they will heal, grow new foliage and return to their natural beauty,’’ the National Arbor Day Foundation notes on its site dedicated to storm recovery.
Cutting away too many branches removes the tree’s main source of food — its leaves.

Cosmetic blight caused by torn bark is easily fixed with a knife or chisel. Cut away ragged edges where bark has torn away. Make a series of smooth cuts back to the greenish inner bark, called the cambium layer.

Preserve as much of the cambium as possible; it’s what delivers food and water from the roots to leaves.

Incorrect pruning is oftentimes the cause of more damage — especially torn bark.
When a limb is cut from the top without first making an undercut, the branch strips bark as it tumbles to the ground. This in turn invites insects and disease.

To prevent this, first make a partial cut on the underside of the damaged limb at a point several inches from the trunk.

Make a second cut from above, several inches out from the first cut to allow the limb to fall safely. To finish the job, make your final cut just outside the branch collar — the raised area that surrounds the branch where it joins the trunk.